Recruitment Works When People Can See Themselves in the Decision  

In the late 1990s, military recruiting in America was entering a more competitive era than it had ever seen before. Attention was harder to earn, skepticism was rising, and prospects had more options — college, careers, and alternatives that didn’t require putting on a uniform.  

In that new environment, institutional pride wasn’t enough. Messaging had to do more than describe the branch of service, it had to help a real person picture how service could fit into their life.  

That tension showed up clearly in the shift from the National Guard’s values-forward “Americans At Their Best” positioning to the Army National Guard’s prospect-centered “You Can” campaign.  

Today, that sounds obvious, but thirty years ago that distinction is what turned interest into action.  

Early in LMO’s history, through our work supporting Army National Guard recruitment efforts, we learned the circumstances that make recruitment messaging break down and fail to activate. The core breakdown? Organizations that focus on telling their own story rather than helping people imagine who they could become. 

When Positioning Speaks to the Organization, Not the Prospect  

At the time, the Guard’s positioning reflected institutional pride and internal values. The message focused on excellence, character, and service — admirable traits, but framed largely from the organization’s point of view.  

It asked prospects to admire the Guard, not to picture themselves inside it. That distinction mattered.  

Recruitment audiences don’t make life-altering decisions by evaluating institutions in the abstract. They decide by imagining futures and picturing how a choice fits into their lives, their goals, their families, and their sense of identity.  

When messaging stays introspective, it creates distance. When it becomes invitational, it creates momentum.  

A Shift From Identity to Possibility  

The shift to “You Can” messaging marked a turning point for the Army National Guard. Yes, it was a purposeful tagline change, but it was also a philosophical one for the organization.  

The language moved outward, away from self-description and toward possibility. It reframed service not as an identity you had to already possess, but as an opportunity you could step into. 

It also acknowledged something fundamental: prospects weren’t looking to join an institution. They were trying to make a choice that had to work in the real world.  

Why Relevance Lowers Friction  

The Guard’s shift didn’t lower standards, it lowered friction by centering the prospect and, as a result, making belief easier.  

Instead of asking people to align themselves with an abstract ideal, it invited them to imagine how service could align with them. It allowed prospects the room to consider their ambitions, their education plans, their careers, and their communities.  

In recruitment, that shift is everything. Belief precedes commitment and belief starts with relevance. When people can see themselves in the outcome, confidence follows. And confidence is what turns interest into action.  

Proof the Thinking Scaled  

Army National Guard prospects were balancing multiple identities at once: civilian and military, personal and professional, individual and collective.  

That same reality applied to the Air National Guard, despite it being a different service with a different culture and different motivators. And after the success of the Army National Guard work, LMO was awarded the opportunity to support Air National Guard recruitment.   

The award confirmed that the prospect-centered philosophy wasn’t campaign-specific, but service-agnostic. The requirement remained constant: help people see how service fits into their lives, not disrupts them. That insight ultimately came to life in a simple truth the Air National Guard would later articulate as: “Part Time Blue, Full Time You.”  

The Air National Guard reinforced what the Army National Guard experience had already taught us. When recruitment messaging starts with the organization, it stalls. When it starts with the prospect, it moves people forward.  

Because that’s when people can see themselves in the outcome — and commitment becomes possible.  

Start a Conversation →